Scott Drinkall

Many people have already made the move from states effected more by heat and storms to our communities. How will climate migration effect Northern Michigan?

Scott Drinkall, PhD candidate in public policy at George Mason University and a policy researcher focused on climate change, migration and governance will discuss how environmental change shapes decisions about whether, and how, people move and to help us understand:

• Whether Michigan could be considered a “climate refuge” and what that might mean in practice.

• How climate-driven migration might affect Northern Michigan, including housing, infrastructure, and farmland.

• How climate pressures shape decisions to move—or stay—drawing on U.S. and Pacific Island examples.

• Key policy challenges for communities experiencing population change.

Hosted by the Environmental and Natural Resources Committee.